[Icannon]

well, i'm sure i could be swept up by any great player of his choice of strings\wind\percussion\computer, but the electric guitar has been redefined, in my mind, by a musician named jason becker. not to mention at a sickeningly young age, too. i think it's strange that sometimes others don't hear what i hear when listening to music. taste is a strange thing.. but back to the instrument discussion: which is the most expressive and why?

(and sorry if it has been brought up before)

[Lunatique]

I would have to say instruments with strings that could be bent, vibrated, plucked, strummed, picked..etc. Instruments like the violin, Chinese Er-Hu, electric guitar..etc.

I used to think it's the piano, but the truth is, you only press keys down, and the only variation is how hard/soft/fast/slow you play.

With stringed instruments, there's so much more variation.

[LinaBo]

The voice. As a vocalist, I'd have to say the human voice is one of the most versatile and expressive instruments.

[Norling]

Every kid can play the gutar nowdays...Few has good control, but still there are a lot of skilled players. So....I'd say that the trombone is the most expressive instrument to me. I've been plaing with a private teacher for almost eight years now, and i still have to learn much.

[Dr. Bang]

piano

[[Shizo]]

It's not instrument that's expressive or not so expressive - it's a dude that plays it!
One could barely play guitar, but other could express tons more by playing a drum (depends on skill and mind).

[Brain]

Agree with Shizo. Also with LinaBo.

But ain't tha banjo kewl? @;-)

[Jabberwocky]

Sight and touch. the eyes and hands has to be. With out those everything is tons hard. Can be done, but hard. Many times we take the simplist things for granet.

But I have to say those dane tech pens cost an arm and a leg last year! I think they cost more than building my new computer did.

[[Shizo]]

Yeah but when technology gets on the level when people can read thoughts with telepathy or some kind of link from brain to brain or from brain into production - anything imaginable can be drawn without learning to draw, or make music that way..
ehh, am i predicting future again? correct.

[Icannon]

the voice is hard to compete with, and it's so natural that i figure it can be put into its own category. wind instruments can be quite incredible, as some of you have mentioned. lunatique - i share your thoughts on the scope of sounds available to stringed intruments, which is why i have chosen the guitar. the electric guitar has such a range of natural and electronic effects that the results from the right player can be mesmerizing. who's a good player of the er-hu that i can look up?

[balistic]

I play a computer.

[Ahcri]

Harmonica.

[Mergatroid]

I would say that the Banjo and the Mandolinn are the most expressive. If you've ever seen Earl Scruggs and Chris Thile play respectively, you would know what I mean. But these two instruments sound much better when its a part of a traditional string band. When you get all the instruments together then you've really got magic.


K.

[christian cox]

Well, I play the bass... I would love to say it's the most expressive, but I won't. I'm going to say the piano or the cello by themselves perhaps at the most expressive. I think you can get a very wide range out of those, while the bass and drums are more of 'filling' type instruments.

But when you put all the instruments together, with some tight musicians... then you can evoke the most emotional response.

[Norling]

I can do some really expressive music with my didg...